After the success of his last album, Quebec singer Bobby Bazini found himself in the enviable position of being able to do pretty much whatever he wanted for the next one.

The last one, Where I Belong, was the country’s best-selling album in 2014, earned a pair of Juno nominations and launched the shy singer-songwriter with the distinctively nimble voice into the spotlight.

This time, on Summer is Gone, the lanky 27-year-old wanted to freshen up his soulful groove and felt that London, England, was the place to do it. And at the top of his wish list of people to work with was Martin Terefe, the producer responsible for some of Bazini’s favourite albums by other soulful male singers, including James Morrison, Jamie Cullum and Jason Mraz.

Released earlier this month, the album marks a shift for Bazini towards a more contemporary sound while keeping the organic texture of real musicians playing real instruments. One song, C’est La Vie, is already a radio hit, while another pays tribute to Leonard Cohen.

Bazini stopped by the Citizen office this week to play a few new songs, and talk about the work that went into Summer is Gone.

Q: Has it always been a dream to make a record in London?

A: Yes. I just love the records that come from London. The music is so inspiring. I felt like I had to go there. The last album was pretty old school, and that’s what I wanted at that time. I felt like my vision for this one was something more soulful but a little bit of rock, not too much. I’m trying to create a modern soul album as much as possible, but in keeping with my style.

Q: Did you do some experimenting to get to that point?

A: I tried different things. When I start a new project, that’s the time I try new things and see what works. We tried some electronic stuff but that wasn’t me. We even went very rock, dirty rock, and it wasn’t that. It was about finding the right direction, and it took some time. Before I went to London, I didn’t know what I wanted.

Q: You made not one but two trips to London write songs with co-writers. How come?

A: The first session I worked with Jake Gosling, and we wrote Blood is Thicker than Water. I thought, ‘This is the sound I want.’ So I stayed there for about a month and we wrote a lot of songs. Every day, I’d have a songwriting session. We didn’t always write album material, but we always got a song. Every session. It was pretty amazing. I came back with over 30 songs.

Q: But you still weren’t ready to record?

A: No, I thought there was something missing. You have to take a step back and listen to songs a lot and when I did, it still felt like something was missing. So we planned another trip to London. I had a week there. It was right in the middle of a tour. We wrote C’est La Vie on the last day, and I didn’t really notice the song at first.

Q: When did you notice it?

A: Maybe a month later. I remember getting the rough demo, and I played it in my car and I went, ‘Oh my God, we’ve got the album.’ That’s the first single. Funny, I didn’t notice it at first. But you’re writing, you’re exhausted and sometimes you don’t notice what’s happening.

Q: What about Leonard Cohen song? Did you ever meet him?

A: No, I wish. I wrote the song last year, and it’s a love song. I was trying to be very poetic and profound. I thought of Leonard Cohen because his stuff is so beautiful. I sent the song to Adam (Cohen, Leonard’s son) a few weeks ago. He wrote back and said ‘Thank you, Bobby. My father will be flattered.’ I don’t know if Leonard heard it.

Q: What’s the significance of the album title, Summer is Gone?

A: The lyrics have a lot of nostalgia. I was just sort of reflecting on the past. I met my girlfriend in the summer, and when I wrote that song, we’d been together for seven years. I was thinking about how much easier things were at that time. It was a simple life, not have to worry about anything. And this life now is so stressful and complicated. I’m always on the road, always gone from home. So there’s a lot of that on the record, feeling like I had to grow fast. That summer we met is long gone, but we’re still together.

Q: Congratulations. It can be a challenge for a relationship to withstand the pressure of fame and success. (Bazini’s girlfriend, Odessa Page, is a singer-songwriter who’s part of his touring band. She also co-wrote a couple of tracks with him, and sings backing vocals on the album.)

A: It’s a tough thing. The first couple of years we didn’t see each other much because I was always gone and she was at school. That was a hard part of the first two records, but now she’s following me. We’re with each other, but it can be hard because she’ll be missing home, too. Travelling a lot gets exhausting emotionally.

Q: Where’s your home base these days?

A: My girlfriend and I just bought a house outside Montreal this summer in Sainte-Adèle. I love that area. It’s a place I used to go for vacations, so I was like, ‘Why not just move there?’ Being on the road is stressful so when we go back home, we need to relax. We have a dog. This will be our first Christmas at home.

Q: The tour starts at the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall in February. Are you looking forward to it?

A: It’s a big venue to start in. I think it’s the biggest venue I’ve played to kick off a tour. But I had so much fun with these songs in the studio. We just did an album launch event, and we played five songs and it was too short. It feels good to play new stuff.

Q: Is it difficult being shy and having this career?

A: On my first couple of albums, I would go on stage super shy. I didn’t get to play all the pubs and bars by myself. My first experiences were on stage with other people, but that’s how I learned. Now I feel good on stage. I’m not great at talking. But I feel like I’m getting better at writing and telling stories through my writing. Just standing in front of people, I get nervous. Music for me is my way of communicating.

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